1. general introduction - 1 xOutlines of these slides may be viewed at x www.creighton.edu/~eeselk xChoose this course and follow the links. xI highly recommend that you print the outlines of the slides before each class & then use your printed copy for filling in notes of the classroom discussion.

2. general introduction - 2 General introduction z1. Why philosophy at Creighton? xA distinctive feature of Jesuit, Catholic higher education: x(1) addressing ultimate questions & x(2) doing so from two viewpoints –revelation –critical reason xwith the goal of?

3. general introduction - 3 General introduction yIgnatius of Loyola (1491-1556) established this as one of the distinctive goals of the universities he founded.

4. general introduction - 4 General introduction z2. The two principal parts of the course: Historical - will study some classics –What is the value of studying classics? Problems –What problems will we cover in this course?

5. general introduction - 5 General introduction x(1)the legitimacy of the state x(2)justice x(3) civil disobedience x(4)religious faith & reason x(5)existence of God x(6)theories of truth x(7) liberty & its bounds x(8)choice vs knowledge x(9)cognitive, ethical, & aesthetic relativism

6. general introduction - 6 General introduction z3. The nature of philosophy x7 traits x(1) Types of issues are very general & very fundamental xBlackburn says philosophy is about "big themes." (Simon Blackburn, Think: A compelling Introduction to Philosophy (NY: Oxford University Press, 1999): 1) What are some of these themes? See Blackburn’s list on p. 3

7. general introduction - 7 General introduction x(2) Is critical –in the sense that philosophy raises questions, very basic questions, & peculiar questions, many are about presuppositions –Socrates in the Apology compares himself to a fly buzzing around a lethargic horse. –quote from Stuart Hampshire

8. general introduction - 8 General introduction z"Almost all the philosophers who have survived and are still read were to some degree subversive and unsettling, loosening the hold of accepted categories and habits of classification, and suggesting a scheme of description of their own design. This radical resistance to the usual certainties, and particularly to the usual pictures of the mind, is the beginning of philosophy....”

9. general introduction - 9 General introduction z“After all, our adherence to customary categories and classifications are largely a result of family inheritance. It is a contingency of birth. Thus at a certain stage in our lives it seems proper to leave our familiar home and look the strange clothing that will fit a deviant and unsocialized consciousness." (Stuart Hampshire, "Philosophy and Fantasy," NYRB, 26 Sep. 1968: 51.f)

10. general introduction - 10 General introduction x(3) Philosophy is integrative –attempts to build grand visions of human life and the world which include all dimensions x(4) The method of philosophy –argumentation –empirical vs conceptual questions –Blackburn’s notion of philosophy as “conceptual engineering”

11. general introduction - 11 General introduction x(5) Philosophy is primarily reflective rather than practical Philosophy “bakes no bread” So why study philosophy or any subject which bakes no bread? The “high ground” reply (Blackburn 6) –Philosophy seeks answers to big questions because it wants to understand. It seeks knowledge for its own sake rather than for utility.

12. general introduction - 12 General introduction The “middle-ground reply” (Blackburn 7) –Reflection is continuous with practice, and practice can get worse or better depending on the soundness of our reflections.

13. general introduction - 13 General introduction The “low-ground” reply (Blackburn 10) –Continuation of point made in middle-ground reply but brought to the level of life & death. –Ideas about rights, the value of other persons affect how we treat others. “In the end, it is ideas for which people kill each other” (Blackburn 11).

14. general introduction - 14 General introduction x(6) The history of philosophy is an essential part of doing philosophy This is true of all of the humanities Why? –toolbox metaphor –dialogue with past –the Kuhnian criticism of the claim that the sciences do no need their history

15. general introduction - 15 General introduction x(7) The similarities & differences between philosophy and theology Similarity  both are concerned with big and fundamental questions (e.g., the existence of God, meaning of human life, ultimate destiny). Difference  but philosophy & theology approach these questions from different perspectives: reason & revelation.

16. general introduction - 16 General introduction Difference  some branches of theology, especially systematic theology, are parasitic with respect to philosophy. The reverse does not seem to be the case.

17. general introduction - 17 General introduction y4. The areas (sub-disciplines) of philosophy x(1) Epistemology x(2) Metaphysics x(3) Ethics x(4) Logic x(5) Philosophy of studies x(6) Historical studies